Amphibious underwater storage system



Junev 8, 1965 Original Filed Jan. l2, 1959 PUMP HOUSE H. G. QUASEAMPHIBIOUS UNDERWATER STORAGE SYSTEM SONAFL DETECTOR.

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 M@ Y U@ /NVE N TOR HAROLD 6. QUASE June 8, 1965 H. G.QUASE 3,187,793

AMPHIBIOUS UNDERWATER STORAGE SYSTEM Original Filed Jan. 12, 1959 5Sheets-Sheet 2 NMO N fo u 5 N o 9*, o o \o DARSE PIER.

June 8, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original AFiled J an.

/N VEN TOR lmfao/ o a aUAsE n Ar'ro m-m.El, v EL. Y vw\ @lv June 8, 1965H. s. QuAsE 3,187,793

AMPHIBIOUS UNDERWATER STORAGE SYSTEM original Filed Jan. 12, 1959 `5sheets-sheet 4 /NVEN 7 OR HAROLD G. QUASE ATTOR EV Jam@ S E 65 H. G.QuAsE 3,187,793

AMPHIBIOUS UNDERWATER STORAGE SYSTEM Original Filed Jan. l2, 1959 5Sheets-Sheet 5 /NVENTOR HAROLD G. QUASE A r TORNEY United States PatentOffice Patented June 8, 1965 3,187,793 AlNiPHBIGUS UNDERWATER STRAGESYSI'EM Harold G. Qnase, Kensington, Md., assigner to UnderwaterStorage, Inc., a corporation of Maryland Original application Jan. 12,1959, Ser. No. 786,434, now

Patent No. 3,114,384, dated Dec. 17, 1963. Divided and this applicationNov. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 72,830

2 Claims. (Cl. ISO-.5)

This invention is a division of my copending application Serial Number786,434 filed January 12, 1959, now Patent Number 3,114,384 d-atedDecember 17, 1963, and relates to an underwater storage system forstrategic materials, solid, liquid or gaseous. More particularly, thepresent invention provides a highly flexible system for safely storingsuchV materials in containers which are emplaceable in submerged storageposition, which are iillable and dischargeable from said submergedposition as individual containers or as a group in situ as part of thestorage system, but which in preferred construction are also removablefor portable transfer from the submerged storage position as one orseveral container units to remote places for use of the material or forrefilling of empty containers and return to the system.

One object of this invention is to provide a storage system of greatsafety for securing strategic materials in protected undenwater positionwith respect to nearby population groups, such as cities, andsubstantially hidden as strategic supplies.

Another object is to so store such materials underwater that they may besimultaneously secure and safely stored, but iiexibly available for easyaccess comprising emplacement and discharge from the underwaterposition.

Any strategic material disposable in containers, such as liquid orgaseous fuels, solvents, fresh water, explosives or solid materials suchas food or medicinal supplies and the like, may be so stored, including,of course, any other useful materials without limit.

The system hereof provides superior storage for dangerous products,particularly flammable gases and liquids, such as petroleum supplies orexplosives, underwater, thereby to very greatly reduce the fire orexplosion hazard to nearby population centers which the stored suppliesservice. The system, moreover, is useful to store strategic materialsagainst contamination by radio activity under the natural protectivebarrier of a substantial depth of water.

While the underwater factor alone provides great safety, the system isexible to further include added safety devices, such as fire and sonarwarning of the approach of enemy or other sea craft. This storage systemagain is protected strategically by being hidden from aerial observationand incidental destruction by near-miss bombardment by highlydestructive modern weapons.

The system hereof in preferred construction is extremely flexible inthat the materials stored may be sealed in large water proofedcontainers and each made a part of the storage system whereby suchcontainer may Ibe filled or discharged without removal from itssubmerged storage position by yremote control valves and pumps or thelike. Alternately, the container itself, or several in a group, may beremoved from or emplaced in the system as a unit.v Y

It is a further object, therefore, to provide a storage system havingthat degree of flexibility in which containers are added to, removedfrom, charged and discharged of their contents individually or in groupsof several from their emplaced underwater storage position.

Another object is to provide a container handling system wherein thecontainer itself is for-med of exible material, such as rubber ofsubstantial strength to contain and secure for storage or transportlarge quantities of such storable materials and which may Ibecollapsible under hydrostatic pressure upon the deformable containerwalls for ready filling and discharge of contents, including adjustmentof buoyancy of the portable container, including container handlingmeans comprising a pallet or cradle for transport and secure emplacementof one or several containers inthe system.

It is among further objects to develop an underwater storage systemincluding shore and sea based facilities for servicing, includingfilling and discharge piping for such underwater storage systems;.protection of such underwater storage system by a surrounding networksecuring the same further against submarine attack, including sonardetection of hostile underwater and surface craft.

ther objects of the invention will .be inherent in the furtherdescription made in reference to the severaliigures of the drawingswhich are substantially diagrammatic and exemplary to explain 'andillustrate the preferred examples of such system and its operation, butit -will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto.

In lthe drawings:

FIG. 1 shows an elevational diagram of the left-hand shore portionsupply hand-ling facilities such as a shore mounted pump house, pipingand a pier extending from the shore to the submerged system;

FIG. 2 is an extension of FIG. l from its right-hand portion and furtherillustrates the storage system and surrounding network;

FIG. 3 illustrates such storage system schematically and in simplifiedoverall plan;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of assembled containers on cradles in theunderwater storage system;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of FIG. 4 showing stored containers andcradle handling means therefor;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective ldetail illustrating the mounting of acradle for stored support and guided emplacement and removal with anH-beam guide;

FIG. 7 is a detail illustrating a means for securing a cradle andcon-tainer in the storage system.

FIG. 8 illustrates a means for guiding a cradle from the surface andunderwater support and for mounting of sevv eral cradles in a verticaltier;

FIG. 9 illustrates a detail of alternate type of cylindrical piling;

FIG. 10 illustrates a detail for mounting wheels on a cradle for landportability;

FIG. ll illustrates a oating sea train of several cradles laden withcontainers; and

FIG. 12 is a further detail of the top of a flexible container showingan enlarged man-hole size access opening and closure for emplacement andremoval of solid materials.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the system viewed in elevation comprises aplurality of ordinary piles 10 which may support a pier 12 extendingabove the water and also support submerged piping 14 which leads fromthe underwater storage system, disposed to the righthand portion of FIG.1 and continuing as FIG.'2to a pump house 16 and other usual land basedmaterial handling facilities. For instance, upon the land near the shorediagrammatically shown to be mounted near the shore line 18 for transferof fluid to and from the storage system as will appear. The storage areaas illustrated in FIG. 2 is preferably surrounded by a heavy metalprotective net 20 which may depend and be supported by suitably placedfloats 22 from `the water sur- Y B face illustrated in the dashed line.The net is of sufcient height to protectively extend to the bottom ofthe storage space. In an alternate modiiied form illustrated by thealternate water level line A, and to impart adequate concealment to theentire storage system, the iloats 22 may be adjusted to support the topof the screen from a submerged position. That is, the bottom of the netmay be secured to piles 25 driven into the sea bottom, and usually theresecured by concrete'blocks 27, and oats 22 support the net 2i) upwardtherefrom in tension at a point substantially beneath the surface A ofthe sea, whereby the storage system is not visibleA from the surfacewhen a desired concealment of the entire storage system exists. Asillustrated in schematic plan, FIG. 3, the system comprises spaced .rows2S of storage containers 26, each of which is separated by a network ofloading and unloading piping or product ducts 14 extending beneath thewater surface from the Vstorage. area to land facilities, for instance,the pump house 16 and other appurtenances, for instance, truck andrailroad sidings for land transport of commodities to and from thestorage area. All such appurtenances can be located on the shore side 18of the sea wall 15.

Moreover, the pier 12 may be used for material handling devices such asan overhead traveling crane `or derrick .13 for removal of floatingcontainers 26 and pallets or cradles from the sea train and transferthem bodily to land vehicles or railroad cars operating thereon.Alternately, only dry or liquid cargo may be unloaded from the.containers by conventional material handling devices 13 mounted on thepier 12. The storage system may also be loaded and unloaded from the seaand for this purpose a barge 30 may bring or remove supplies, such asrfuel oil to a fueling or defueling station 32 cornprising a buoy towhich is mounted duct connectors and Yvalves for either addingY orwithdrawing liquid fuel from the system.y The transfer of supply fluidsto and from the system may be done in one or more fluid duct lines 14.Containers may also be transported to and from storage-by heliccopter(not shown).

The uid containers 25, being preferably of reenforced butflexiblerubber, collapsible when immersed under substantial hydrostaticpressure of the water head thereabout, needs but one line for bothcharging and discharging. However, duplicate or several lines 29 (shownonly as a minor stub) may be used, particularly where a different fluidproduct is to be conveyed. For instance, oil withdrawn from a containermay be replacedby a gas Asuch as natural gas for purposes of enhancingthe buoyancy by preventing collapse of the empty container, such naturalgas being supplied from an independent but similar fluid transfersystem. While generally only a single duct will be fastened to acontainer as shown in FIG. 7,

two ducts may be used and attached to a container as suggested in thedotted circular lines 31 of FIG. 4.l

AS will appear, the containers 26 are preferably ydischarged from thebottom through lines 33 (110) extending therebeneath, but, if desired,the discharge line may be in the side of the container 34 for purposesof accommodating variation in the character of the product. Each duct14, as shown in FIG. 3, generally attaches to several containers througha branching line 35 connecting with manifolding lines 36, the flow ineach of which may be controlled from a remote point through a solenoidvalve 37 electrically, the control unit 39 being located in theV pumphouse 16. With each valve thus independently l discharged through asingle line 41 controlled by a valve 42.

As pointed out above, the group of supply containers 26 are surroundedby a protective net 20 supported by oats 22. Inasmuch as additional lireprotective devices may be needed, tire extinguishingunits, such asfoaming gas evolving bottle 23, may be disposed about the area andattached to the nets as an additional safety factor. K

As further described below, preferably at least some of the containers26 and cradles, pallets or handling devices associated with one orseveral containers, are portable and so may be emplaced and readilyremoved from the positions shown in FIG. 3. For'this purpose a gatewayopening of the net 20 for supply and removal of portable containers isshown at the point 24.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4, 5, and 7, a single container 26,preferably formed of a heavy cord or fabric reenforced rubber wall ofsubstantial size ranging upward from a few hundred to several thousandgallons of fluid capacity and of great strength and substantiallexibility, is used as a unit storage device. Such container of itself,discounting some elements which maybe of metal, such as fluid ducts, issubstantially floatable as rubber in Water, and readily storeseithergaseous, liquid or solid supplies or combinatios thereof which renderthe package of lower than water specific gravity to be adequatelybuoyant to oat on the surface of Water. In fact, since the deviceusually has such buoyancy which is readily adjustable by the productpackaged, it may be mounted on a supporting cradle or palletv servingthe purpose of anchoring the container in submerged position in thesystem as well as for transporting the container or an assembly ofseveral such containers.

Some supply containers may be substantially permanently fixed-at theunderwater storage site for filling and discharging of fluid by ducts.Some containers may be formed of rigid materials which, however, wouldneed rm anchoring to overcome large variation of buoyancy with chargeand discharge of Yfluid contents; although rigid wall containers withvolume varying means such as typical large commercial gas storage tanksnow common- ,ly used, may bey used here with appropriate anchoring.

However, as stated, the preferred storage containers are portable, and`in furthery preference are flexibly collapsible.

Such flexible walled containers are best handled with a supporting meanssuch as a pallet or cradle, cooperative for ready handling by materialhandling devices. In the present system, moreover, the pallet or cradleusefully cooperates with guiding and storage securing devices as willappear. Such pallet or cradle 44 as shown in FIG. 6 comprises a metalbase having side members 46 which may be any kind of stitfeningstructural elements, tubular, angle or channel irons or, as shown, I orHfbeams. The side members 46 can be secured together` by cross members48, reinforced by one or more longitudinal stitfening l members 50 anddiagonalstiffening members 52. Preferably the upperhorizontal member 54FIG. 5 is formed of channel iron and the diagonal reinforcing elementsS6 preferably are of angle iron. The several vertical side framingmembers 54 and 56 are secured together, as by welding to each other andto the lower side members 45, as a truss, greatly reinforcing the base.and forming a cradle with side support members as shown, or by omissionof the side members, a pallet, either being useful for handling one orseveral liexible containers 26 as a unit.

As'pointed out, each container 26 has substantial buoyancy in view ofits low gravity rubber structural material as well as the 4supplycontent. Even combined with the cradle, the entire assembly may bebuoyant, the buoyancy variable somewhat with Ithe contents and byfurther reduction of the weight of the cradle material. Thus, while thecradle may be formed of heavy rust resistant ferrous metal, for somematerials it is desirable to form it of a ,tainers is preferablybuoyant.

lighter metal, such as aluminum, magnalium and the like. Since theassembly can float and may also be adjusted in buoyancy, it is desirableto fasten the containers securely to the cradle by straps 58 mounted toextend merely across the top of the cradle between opposite upper sidemembers 54.

Alternatively, of course, if the side arms are omitted from thesupporting base so that the structure is that of a mere pallet 60, asshown in FIG. 2, then the straps may extend completely around eachcontainer 26 as modilied straps 59, that is, from one side of thepallet, i.e. a

lower side member 46, to the other, to secure the pallet and containerassembly together as a unit.

The storage system proper comprises vertical guide members disposed atintersecting corners of each cradle, one guide member for adjacentcorners, for instance, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3. Such guidemembers may be vertical tubes 62, one of which is shown in enlargeddetail FIG. 9, all disposed in rows at both sides and ends of theseveral aligned cradles, and serving as guide members for verticalemplacement and removal of a cradle from its storage position. While inultimate simplicity such guide members may be tubular, it is preferredthat the vertical guide members be H-irons 64 as shown in FIG. 4 and inenlarged perspective detail FIG. 6. The rectangular column space orchannel formed on both sides of the web member 63 of each H-beam 64,with its side anges 65, forms a superior vertical guideway for eachrectangular corner for vertical raising and lowering of a pallet 60 orcradle 44. For this purpose the side member 46 of the cradle 44 as shownin FIG. 6 is sized to slidingly t in the channel between the anges 65,with each and abutting the web portion 63 of an H-beam 64. In order tocooperate with the H-beam guide structure, the forward and after crossmember 48 of the pallet or cradle are indented, set inward from the endsof the side members 46, a short but sullicient distance to allow theside members 46 to extend into the channel or guideway portion of theH-beam. Such indented distance is less than about one-half the width ofa flange 65 for sliding guiding support and non-binding clearance of thefour corners of a pallet or cradle in the four vertical channels ofH-beams 64 disposed at each corner. Of course, as

f illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the opposite side of each -H-beamforms a guideway for one end of another cradle or pallet so that two ormany may be disposed in a long row substantially as illustratedschematically in FIG. 3.

As mentioned, the assembly of a cradle and several con- Accordingly,several of them may be towed alioat in the waterway above andapproaching the storage area as several container laden cradles orpallets lashed together comprising a sea train and towed by any seacraft such as a tugboat or barge 66 to or from the storage area forpurposes of conveying the material elsewhere, or for refilling. Forinstance, solid materials iloated in a sea train of containers may betowed to the pier 12 as shown in FIG. 3, lifted by a crane or hoistmechanism 13 onto the pier which may have a conveyance means, truck,railroad car or the like on which the container can be emplaced forconveyance. Such sea train is further illustrated in FIG. 11. Theseveral cradles may be assembled, secured and towed from a framework 67designed specifically for this purpose, the structure while g beingdiagrammatically illustrated, may be quite simple as is apparent fromthe structure shown.

In a modiiication as illustrated in small detail of FIG. 10, the palletor cradle may be constructed to have wheels mounted thereon whereby thecradle container assembly may be towed on land, at least for shortdistances. For this purpose, the side members 46 may have steeringknuckles 68 pivotally supported between anges 70 by pivot pins 72 inopposite duplicate side arms 46. The steering knuckles 68 each have asteering arm 74 extending therfrom and pivoted at their ends 76 to atie-rod 78. The steering knuckles 68 each support a stub axle Sil upon 6which a wheel may be rotatably mounted through nonfriction bearings andsecure for rotation in conventional manner. A towing tongue (not shown),as in a conventional towed wagon may be secured to tie-rod 78 for towingthe pallet or cradle thus mounted on wheels, on land.

The floating cradle container assembly towed over the storage area canbe drawn into storage emplacement position within the securing H-beamsby attaching weights to the corners of the cradle or pallet suicient toovercome the buoyancy of the container assembly therewith, and thuslower the assembly into the selected storage place, positioned as shownin FIG. 2, 3, 4, and 5. For this purpose and referring to detail FIG. 6,the side members 46 of the cradle may have cleat blocks 82 securedthereto at each comer, each block having an eye 84 depending downwardtherefrom into which a weight 86 may be hung by a cable 88 having hooks90, fastening from one end into eye 84 and the other into eye 92 of theweight member 86. The weight members fastened as thus described to thefour corners (or other positions as needed) of the container and cradleassembly, serves to overcome the buoyancy. However, it will be apparentthat the same elect of lowering the assembly may be produced by cables88 extending down to pulleys in the storage area (not shown), and drawndownward thereby for emplacement of a pallet, as diagrammatically shownin the right-hand portion of FIG. 2..

It is often desirable, however, to lower the assembly against the pullof the lower cables, with or without weights, more controllably, bycables played out by a winch, crane or one usual hoisting device aboardthe surface craft to aid inthe emplacement of the containercradleassembly. For that purpose, upper eyes 94 are fastened in the upper endsof the cleat blocks 82 and a hook 96 of a 'guiding cable 98 is fastened,one to each corner of a pallet or cradle, to lower the assembly to theposition shown in the detail FIG. 6, carefully aligning the four ends ofthe side arms 46 in the hollow portion between llanges 65, whereby theassembly is then guided to fixed storage position as shown in FIGS. 2,3, 4, and 5.

The alignment of the assembly being lowered from surface craft to theproper position within the upright guiding H-beams 64 may be facilitatedmanually by divers, but other means for emplacing alignment may beprovided. One useful device for that purpose is illustrated in FIG. 8.As there shown, the side arms 46, near their ends, are slottedvertically through both upper and lower flanges 70 to slidingly receivea vertical aligning bar 100, which may be fixed to arm 46 at anyvertical position therein by cross p ins 1 02. The bar 100 may extendvertically any useful distance for guiding alignment, for instance, adistance great enough to engage the hollow channel portion of the lvertical H-beams, serving thereby to guide the descending assembledcradle and containers from the surface to storage position with theend-s of the four arms 46 engage in the slideway channels of the H-beams64,

A similar construction using such bar 100 includes as slightmodiiication one or more hinges at 104 allowing the upper portion to beswung horizontally. Several such bars 100 then, mounted vertically inthe four corners of a cradle 44, and bent at right angles from thehinged portion 104, can serve as a horizontal sub-base support upon thetop of a cradle-container assembly whereby a second cradle mayberlowered within the vertical guideway dened by four H-beams 64, asillustrated in FIG. 5. Thus, two or more cradles and containers thereinmay be mounted vertically, one above the other, in a tier. Of course,there may be more hinges emplaced in different directions whereby Itheupper bar portion may be bent to other horizontal directions for suchdesired supportingposes.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pallet 60, supporting one or several containers26, may rest upon the sea or other water storage bottom. However, inorder Yto avoid becoming embedded in silt, a stop member or ledge 105FIG. 6

7 may be mounted as a stop near the lower end of an H- beam a slightdistance above the ground level of the sea thereby to support the palletor cradle a short distance above the bottom.

While, as noted, such guiding bar 100 is of considerable utility to aidin alignment ofV a descending cradle within four upright H-beams forguiding to storage position sometimes aided by a sea diver. It may beuseful with larger and more automatic alignment units to be able, afteremplacement of a cardle-container assembly inv storage position, toautomatically release the cables. For that purpose a cable releasingmeans 108, dagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 6, may be used toreleaseth'e cable electrically from a remote position. That cablerelease means may comprise a pair of electromagnets or vother automaticcoupling or cable releasing'deviceas known in the art for release of thecable `coupling from a remote point such as by an electrical impulsemaking or breaking a circuit. Similarly the cable 88 supporting weights86 may f be fitted with automatic cable releasing devices whereby theassembled pallet and containers thereonwill tend to rise, fioating inthe water. as illustrated inthe vright-hand portion of FIG. 2.

As shown in detail, FIG. 7, a container 26 may be formed of heavyreenforced rubber. Preferably the container is filled from the bottomthrough a lpermanently fitted tube 110 which carries a coupling flange112 of any known type, for example the flanges may be coupled by clamps,or bolts (not shown), or the coupling may be a threaded joint. The duct110 is coupled to a pipe 14, part of the piping system alreadydescribed, vor which may be a fiexible rubber hose conduit which isintegral with or joins to the piping system 14 described above forcontrol of fluid flow through valve 37 (or others), suitably controlledremotely by solenoid elements 43, completing the fiuid transfer system.Therefore, after emplacement of a cradle in the storage position, theducts are connected manually by a diver performing the coupling ofducts, whereby each container becomes integrated into the storagesystem.

However, it is possible to 'effect `automatic coupling iii-- asmuch asVthe containers andcradle assembly are well aligned in the system asdescribed. The coupling member 112 therefore may be automaticallyaligned with the emplacement of the entire assembly and the couplingsealed electromagnetically by modifying coupling flange elements 112 tobe electromagnets. The upper ange 112, in analternate couplingarrangement, may be omitted, the tube 110 coupling frictionally into afemale coupling element, so that the coupling and Vuncoupli'ng Vof theentire group of containers in the storageV system may be doneautomatically, semi-automatically. ormanually as desired.

As indicated above the preferred guide member system has H-beams mountedat the four cornersV of each pallet or cradle.l However, the guidemembers may have any other useful guiding shape, for instance they maybe tubular. For this purpose the ends of a Vside member 46 of eachcradle may be arcuate, as shown at 47 in FIG. 9, for sliding engagementof the cradle-container. assembly about the outside of the tube, one ormore disposed as shown in FIG. 3 at each corner of the cradle.

The system as described comprises storing of numerous l containers eachpreferably having substantial buoyancy.

For this reason each of thevertical guide members 64 will i be anchoreddeeply in the solid sand, silt or mud bottom of the storage area andpreferably fixed by embedding in concrete blocks 116 as shown in FIG. 2,or the .entire bottom may be paved of concrete in which the uprightmembers are embedded.

Inasmuch as the system is desired to Vprotectively store strategicmaterials, the net will extend entirely around the storage area and befitted with a gate means 24, or opening in the net, open when substancesto be stored are brought into or removed from the area.

The storage system mayV have various warning signal devices forprevention of theft, and particularly, approaching of enemy submarines.For this purpose, a sonar detection unit 118 is mounted to signal theapproach of submarines or surface craft.

For additional protection foamite bottles 23 are disposed about the netfor release of fire extinguishing materials, releasable by fire orexplosion or responsive to various fire detection signals, as known inthe art.

It is desirable for yfilling and removing of solid materials to fill andunload manually or vby dry cargo handling devices. For this purpose, andas illustrated in FIG. l2, a container -may be formed .with a readilyscalable men-hole or cover capable of water tight securement as bybolting with bolts 122. One -of the advantages of the present system isflexibility of movement of materials to be stored by sea. The entirecargo contained within large rubber containers is buoyant alone orcombined with either a pallet or cradle. Several such containers arehandleable by vertically hoisting aboard land craft several suchcontainers usefully fastened together and towed by tugboat 66'as a seatrain. That type of assembly is illustrated diagrammatically in lFIG.ll. l

As shown in the right-hand portion of FIG. 2, cables S8 attac-h to thecorners of a cradle-container assembly and to the lower end of anupright H-beam. Tha-t cable itself serves in part to guide theassemblyto emplacing position. It also can serve to lash the buoyant assemblyinto storage position. However, once emplaced, a cradlecontainer isreadilylatched in storage position by any conventional latching means,such as an extending pin, such as pin 102, mounted through one of theH'Jbeams bearing against an end of a cradle arm 45 as 4sho-wn in FIG. 8.Y

The system in operation is characterized by great flexibility to supplyand withdraw materials or containers filled with materials to and from asubmerged storage system. The materials are supplied and -withdrawn bypiping or by v container-pallet or cradle combination/handled preferablyas a buoyant unit. The entire system 4as described is protected by asubstantial head of water from observation, from fire and explosionhazard to nearby cities and to the materials themselves, stored asstrategically valuable supplies.

Numerous modifications and refinements of the present system will occurt0 those skilled in the art and, accordingly, it is intended thatnumerous details of description of the system be regarded asillustrative and not limiting except as defined in the claims appendedhereto.

I claim: y

1. In an underwater storage system a flexibly collapsible containermounted on a rigid, open, metallic framework as a cradle, said containerand `framework being buoyant in water when thev continer is filled witha fluid `of a specific gravity substantially yless than Water,vertically extending H beams having their lower ends embedded in theunderwater storage site, said H beams being spaced to engage opposedsides of said cradle to guide and support said cradle to fixed storageposition under water, said HL beams having their channels `disposed toenclose and support a corner of said rectangular cradle for verticalmovement, each corner of said cradle having an extension of a sideslidingly engaging ra channel of an H beam for sliding support and guidefor said cradle in Vertical movement.

2. In an underwater storage system a flexibly collapsible containermounted on a rigid, open metallic rectangular framework as a' cradle,said container and cradle being buoyant in lWat-er when the container isfilled with a fluid -of a specific gravity substantially lower thanwater, vertically extending tubular beams in the storage area havingtheir lower ends embedded in the underwater storage site, said beamsbeing spaced to engage opposed sides of said cradle to guide and supportsaid cradle to fixed storage position under water, said cradle havingarcuate portions in its sides spaced to slidingly engage each of saidtubular guide and support beams for sliding support inl verticalmovement of said cradle and means for anchoring said cradle in submergedposition.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 56,508 7/ 66Prefontane 220-13 2,383,840 8/45 Benckert. 2,594,105 4/ 52 Watts 137-7810 2,748,739 6/56 Monti et a1. 2,924,350 2/ 60 Greer 220-13 FOREIGNPATENTS 777,217 11/ 34 France. 581,733 9/ 58 Italy.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

EARLE J. DRUMMOND, Examiner.

1. IN AN UNDERWATER STORAGE SYSTEM A FLEXIBLE COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINERMOUNTED ON A RIGID, OPEN, METALLIC FRAMEWORK AS A CRADLE, SAID CONTAINERAND FRAMEWORK BEING BUOYANT IN WATER WHEN THE CONTAINER IS FILLED WITH AFLUID OF A SPECIFIC GRAVITY SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN WATER, VERTICALLYEXTENDING H BEAMS HAVING THEIR LOWER ENDS EMBEDDED IN THE UNDERWATERSTORAGE SITE, SAID H BEAMS BEING SPACED TO ENGAGE OPPOSED SIDES OF SAIDCRADLE TO GUIDE AND SUPPORT SAID CRADLE TO FIXED STORAGE POSITION UNDERWATER, SAID H BEAMS HAVING THEIR CHANNELS DISPOSED TO ENCLOSE ANDSUPPORT A CORNER OF SAID RECTANGULAR CRADLE FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT, EACHCORNER OF SAID CRADLE HAVING AN EXTENSION OF A SIDE SLIDINGLY ENGAGING ACHANNEL OF AN H BEAM FOR SLIDING SUPPORT AND GUIDE FOR SAID CRADLE INVERTICAL MOVEMENT.